Always
by Darling Drusilla
Summary: A few moments of normalcy between Jayne and River.
1. Chapter 1

She's staring at him petulantly and Jayne wonders just why the hell he indulges her at times like this.

Always the oddball, he can't decide if she's started a week before everyone, Inara is usually the one to begin the cycle, or a week after everyone, Kaylee tends to end it. He can smell it on all the girls, that spice, the metallic scent of blood and the way the skin pales just a tiny bit. You don't live with women as long as he has and fail to notice that kind of thing. But he can smell it on River before she even starts to show her loopier signs.

"What kind?"

"Stars."

Jayne nods and hoists himself up. Moony needs pads and he's always the one to get em for her.

Probably always will too.

He's wondered a few times why she doesn't go to the girls. Why not ask them for help, why not crawl into Inara's bed or sit by Zoe's feet or sit in the warm engine room like Kaylee does. She explained it to him once. Something about animal behavior and there were some big words he didn't fully understand, but the gist was clear enough.

Big man protect little woman. Just like it'd been in the beginning before they'd started talking and using tools.

She's still holed up in his bunk when he comes back and he steps out while she sorts herself out. She ain't gonna leave tonight. She never does. In fact she'll probably stay holed up in his bunk and under his blankets for the next three days. Just like she always does.

'Ain't no other woman in this whole gorram galaxy I'd let do that'. Not even his own kid...assuming he had one...which he might somewhere. But that wasn't important. "You all done?" A muffled sound hits his ears and he drops back into his bunk. Sure enough, she's all bundled up in his blankets, curled in on herself and suffering silently. She don't tell the doc, he wouldn't either if it meant getting a bunch of voices in the brainpan.

Jayne goes back to what he was doing.

"Want me to read fer ya?" he asks a bit later. He's sitting on his bed, reading about a detective from earth that was. He feels River's head move against his stomach. She's resting her head on a pillow on his lap and if anyone finds out he'll deny it til the day he dies. "Right, yer lucky I just started, don't mind going back."

To Sherlock Homes she is always The woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes, she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex."

River always came to Jayne. If he could be trusted to do anything, it was to smell the way he should and read in his big growly voice and to keep his thoughts in a line and organized and focused. This detective he reads about is one of their favorites. The hero has flaws and he's never quite all there. It's easy to get lost in London that was, and the images he's getting in his head add to her own ideas. She shares with him sometimes and together they can make their own world and together they would stumble over words they didn't know.

When they go to sleep, she's the princess being guarded by the dragon. His hands are warm on her abdomen and the cramping dulls wherever he puts his hands. She can fall asleep knowing that she's safe with her Jayne monster.


	2. Chapter 2

Mal climbed back up the ladder and into the hall, blinking slowly at what he'd just walked into. Inara was right. He needed to start knocking. Now, the question of knocking led to a choice, did he knock on doors or did he knock on Jayne's head real good?

Then again...Jayne had been handcuffed to his bed and little River had been sleeping on top of him like the whole thing was normal. Like they'd been doing it every night and dear lord he did not want to think about how long them two had been shacking up under his nose.

Mal sighed, walking down the hall to Inara's shuttle. He needed to figure his way through this and he knew that shouting wasn't gonna help. For one, River might just stare at him annoyed and Jayne...how could anyone talk when they had something lacy in their mouth?

"I need a drink."

* * *

><p>((XD so much fun to be had with the crew finding out.))<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh how cute!"

Kaylee woulda never guessed that Jayne would ever wear a pink, frilly, lacy, anything. Never a once under any circumstances, even if Vera was about to be melted down fer cookware and toys. Especially when it was one of River's favorite dresses.

"Kaylee!" the large man jumped, pulling the frilly thing closed as he backed against the cabinet. "What are you doing here? In the mes hall?"

"Well I was making coffee, like I do every Monday morning..." Kaylee grinned as all color drained from Jayne's face.

"Morning...right, it's morning. I had better get dressed then, since it's morning." Jayne picked up the two bottles he'd grabbed and ducked his head, dodging out of the mess.

"Jayne," Kaylee stopped him. His head ducked back in, still a bit uneasy. "River doesn't like the orange ones."

Jayne looked down at his hands before grumbling and walking back into the mess, digging through the pantry for the blue ones as Kaylee continued making coffee.

"Kaylee?" Jayne pulled the dress closed. "You ain't...upset are ya? We're, well we ain't so keen on people knowing just yet. And we'd sure 'ppriciate it iffn-"

"Don't worry," Kaylee grinned. "I said it before. It's cute." Jayne made to leave again. "Of course...if there was ever, any problem, ever, I'm pretty sure I could shove you into one of the engines, wouldn't gunk things up too much."

Jayne nodded, holding up one of the blue bottles and ducking out of the mess hall for good. fluttery pink cotton trailing behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

"You sure bout this?"

River cast a look at Jayne. He was being such a boob. "I am very sure of this."

They were supposed to be gathering supplies, and eventually they would do just that. But for now they were enjoying time off of the ship. They were enjoying a day to themselves. A real date for the first time in at least three months. River had left the ship with Zoe, Jayne leaving with Wash, and after ten minutes, they'd met up, traded partners and parted ways.

"It's raw," Jayne argued, looking down at the fish in front of him. The bright orange and crimson banners of Alhambra were fluttering around them, whitewashed walls casting light into the darkest of alleys. The various inhabitants were chatting in an offshoot of Spanish; the entire planet was in fact a settlement of Spain that Was.

"The citric acid cooks the fish, killing off any bacteria." To prove her point, River took a bite of the raw salad. Lime and onion and fresh fish, she hadn't had this in a long time. A recipe from Spain that was, beloved by fisherman across the planet, she used to eat it once a week after school.

"If you say so," Jayne grumbled, taking a bite. His beer was at the ready, fully prepared to wash away any unpleasant taste or texture. But his chewing slowed, and his scowl fell away. "Alright, I don't mind eating fish."

River smiled as she took another bite from their shared dish. "Next, we will try Tapas." At Jayne's look she smiled. "It is bar food."


End file.
